Meike Brunkhorst - Photography by Mateusz Łapsa - Malawski
bluebee met with Meike Brunkhorst to talk about art marketing and running your art like a business. Meike has been surrounded by art and artists for nearly all of her life. However, as life wanted it, she decided against pursuing a career as an artist and followed her second passion, mathematics. Even during her previous career as an advertising sales manager for international art and lifestyle magazines, Meike organised gigs and art events for her friends on the side. This way she always sought to be personally involved in the arts. Being surrounded by talented musicians and artists, and increasingly disillusioned with
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the media industry, she decided to return to the art world, but as an art marketing consultant, rather than as an artist herself. Today, Meike runs factor-m, a consultancy providing essential guidance and strategic support for artists seeking to improve efficiency and to achieve set goals. She does some art herself, but only for her own ‘therapeutic’ self. Career-wise, she prefers to be judged by her work as a marketing consultant, which is difficult, because marketing as art itself is very subjective, and
success lies in the eye of the beholder. Meike is passionate about all her clients and really takes the time to understand each artist’s work individually. Supporting her artists is at the core of everything she does, and at first sight it seems that she may not practise what she preaches. She doesn’t have the biggest internet presence or thousands of followers, for instance, instead relying on organic growth and word of mouth. This approach allows her to avoid being swamped by inbound leads,
